Adjustable cigarette filters



April 1968 YUNlL KIM ETAL 3,376,874

ADJUSTABLE CIGARETTE FILTERS Filed May 27, 1965 -1. 'IIIII'IIIIIII an"I", II'IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII 1111')! Fla 4. wmr m NAMSIK KIM YONGSIK KIM BYJEONSIK KIM ATTORNEY.

United States Patent 7 7 Claims. (Cl. 131-207) The present inventionrelates to cigarette filters, and more particularly to such filtershaving means for adjusting the degree of filtering in several steps orincrements.

It is one object of the present invention to provide cigarette filterswhich effectively prevent some or most of the harmful constituents ofcigarette smoke, as for example nicotine and tars, from reaching themouth of the smoker.

It is another object of the present invention to provide an adjustablecigarette filter of simple and economical construction accommodatingconveniently disposable filter elements of readily available material.

It is yet another object of the present invention to provide anadjustable filter with simple means for providing various degrees offiltration during smoking.

It is still a further object of the present invention to provide anadjustable cigarette filter, wherein members are provided which haverespective narrow and wide slots in registering relationship. Therelative positioning of these members selects an appropriate number ofnarrow slots to coincide with a wide slot of the other member so thatrespective smaller and larger amounts of smoke are allowed to passtherethroug With these and other objects in view, which will becomeapparent in the following detailed description, the present inventionwill be clearly understood in connection with the accompanying drawings,in which:

FIGURE 1 is an end view of a preferred embodiment of the adjustablecigarette filter, according to the present invention;

FIG. 2 is an exploded, perspective view showing the structural elementsof the cigarette filter disclosed in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a vertical, axial section of the assembled cigarette filterwith a cigarette inserted therein; and

FIG. 4 is an elevation of the cigarette with the filter attachedthereto.

Referring now to the drawing, a preferred embodiment of the cigarettefilter designed in accordance with the present invention comprises twomouthpiece members 1 and 2 which can be connected together byconventional means, e.g., by respective protruding and recedinginterlocking portions 16 (FIG. 3). The member 1 is the mouthpiece properwhich the smoker takes into his mouth, while a cigarette 13 isinsertable in the member 2, as disclosed in FIGS. 3 and 4. Themouthpiece member 1 is hollow and of general cylindrical shape forlodging therein an elongated, generally cylindrical filter or spongemember 11. A similar disc-shaped filter or sponge 12 is inserted into acorresponding recess of the member 2.

As can be seen best from the exploded view of FIG. 2, the mouthpieceportion 1 has a bottom plate 3 disposed adjacent the member 2; thebottom plate 3 is equipped with radial slots 4, which slots 4 arepreferably arranged in two diametrically opposite groups. As a matter ofexample, four slots 4 are shown in each group. Adjacent each group ofslots 4, a stop pin 5 protrudes from the bottom plate 3 in forwarddirection and a substantially centrally disposed connecting bolt 6projects likewise in for-' ward direction.

The member 2 has a preferably integral partition wall 7 which, uponassembly of the two members 1 and 2 en- 3,376,874 Patented Apr. 9, 1968gages the bottom plate 3 of the member 1. The partition wall 7 has twoarcuate slots or openings 8, each covering an area corresponding roughlyto the total area of one group of slots 4 of the bottom plate 3. Thepartition wall 7, furthermore, has a central bore 9 adapted to receivethe connecting bolt 6 of the member 1. A securing ring 10 can be pushedover the forwardly protruding end of bolt 6 after the members 1 and 2have been assembled. The stop pins 5 protrude into the arcuate slots 8,as can be determined from FIGS. 1 and 3.

It will be understood that the mouthpiece members 1 and 2 are preferablymade of a suitable, e.g., readily disposable material, as for example,plastic. As for the filter or sponge members 11 and 12, they can be madefrom synthetic sponge, cellulose fibers, or any other conventionallyknown smoke-filtering substance. These filters are readily replaceablein an obvious manner.

A cigarette 13, as well as the mouthpiece portions 1 and 2 are coveredwith an outer paper 14 as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4. A line of perforations15 is applied to the paper 14, coinciding with the connecting line 16between the members 1 and 2. As can be seen from FIG. 4, an index mark17 is printed or otherwise applied to the outer paper 14 on one side ofthe perforation line 15, while indicia 18 (e.g., numerals 1, 2, 3, 4)are printed on the other side of the perforation line 15.

In use, when the cigarette is lighted, reduced pressure conditions arebeing created in the mouthpiece chambers lodging the filter elements 11and 12. Smoke will flow first from the cigarette 13 through the filter12 at a relative slow speed, so that some portions of the nicotine and.

tars in the smoke will be removed therefrom for retention in the sponge12. Simultaneously, the latter acts as a seal to prevent tobacco dust orsimilar material from reaching the smokers mouth. p

The smoke then passes through the arcuate slots 8 of the member 2 andthrough one or more of the respectively registering radial slots 4 ofthe member 1. At'this point, the speed of the smoke increases due to thereduced flow area, whereby the fine grains of nicotine remaining in thesmoke will tend tocohere during the constricted flow of smoke past theaforementioned apertures or slots and through the second filter orsponge 11. Herein, the fine grains of nicotine will collect so that afavorably filtered smoke reaches the smokers mouth, at the rear end ofthe mouthpiece portion 1, as viewed in the drawing. The passage of thesmoke through the filter members 11 and 12 and across the restrictedslot passages will efficiently cool the smoke, so as to promote furtherretention of the nicotine grains, particularly in the second filtermember 11.

When adjusting the cigarette filter, the smoker turns one of themouthpiece members with respect to the other, whereby the outer paper14is broken along the perforation line 15. By selectively positioning themouthpiece members 1 and 2 with respect to each other by a relativerotary movement, one, two, three or all four slots 4 of a group can bealigned with the respective arcuate slots 8. Evidently, the passage ofthe smoke is narrower with only one registering passage, while it iswider when more or all slots are aligned. The stop pins 5 extendingthrough the arcuate slots limit the rotation of the members 1 and 2, sothat further turning beyond the completely opened position is prevented.The indicia 18 indicates to the smoker the number of arcuate slots whichare aligned or rather the degree of filtration performed. This will bemost pronounced in theposition 4 when only one arcuate radial slot 4registers with the arcuate slots 8, and least efiicient when all fourradial slots communicate with the arcuate slots 8 in the position 1.Thus, the filtering effect decreases with higher indicia numbers 18,that is, a smaller number of operative slots 4.

While we have disclosed one embodiment of the present invention, it isto be understood that this embodiment is given by example only and notin a limiting sense, the scope of the present invention being determinedby the objects and the claims.

We claim:

1. An adjustable cigarette filter for removing impurities, such asnicotine from smoke of a cigarette inserted in the filter, comprisingmouthpiece means defining a fluid flow passage for the flow of saidsmoke therethrough,

transversely extending wall means dividing said passage into first andsecond longitudinally disposed communicating chambers and includingmeans permitting an increase and decrease, respectively, in the flowvelocity of said smoke, when passing from one chamber to the other,

filter means in at least one of said chambers, and

adjustable restricting means in said wall means for selectively andmanually adjusting the cross-section of said passage, whereby variousdegrees of said fiow velocity can be adjusted for a control filtrationof said smoke.

2. The adjustable cigarette filter, as set forth in claim 1, in whichsaid mouthpiece means includes a first and a second hollow member incontiguous arrangement,

said wall means comprising a first plate forming part of said firstmember and a second plate forming part of said second member,

said second plate engaging said first plate in the assembled position ofsaid filter and turnably mounted relative to each other about the sameaxis,

each of said plates having radial slots to be in and out of alignment,respectively, upon relative rotation of said members, to constitute saidrestricting means.

3. The adjustable cigarette filter, as set forth in claim 2, whereinsaid radial slots in one of said plates are of greater width than thatin the other of 'said plates, whereby the passage through said plates iscontrolled by relative rotation of said plates. 4. The adjustablecigarette filter, as set forth in claim 3, wherein said plate having thenarrower slots has at least one pin extending perpendicularly towardsaid plate having the wider slot, said pin being received in said widerslot and acting as abutment means for said pin during relative rotationof said plates. 5. The adjustable cigarette filter, as set forth inclaim 2, which includes envelope means surrounding said members, saidenvelope means having a perforation, and in which said envelope means isbroken along said perforation when the filter is first used. 6. Theadjustable cigarette filter, as set forth in claim 5, which includesindex means on said envelope means on at least one side of saidperforation for indicating the number of said slots of one of saidplates in registration with the slot of the other of said plates and,thence, the actual degree of flow velocity to which the filter isadjusted.

7. The adjustable cigarette filter, as set forth in claim 1, in whichsaid filter means comprises respective cylindrical filter elements insaid chambers.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,124,130 7/1938 Van Deventer131-198 2,843,133 7/1958. Barbara 131207 2,954,035 9/1960 Saffir 13110.3

LUCIE H. LAUDENSLAGER, Primary Examiner.

1. AN ADJUSTABLE CIGARETTE FILTER FOR REMOVING IMPURITIES, SUCH ASNICOTINE FROM SMOKE OF A CIGARETTE INSERTED IN THE FILTER, COMPRISINGMOUTHPIECE MEANS DEFINING A FLUID FLOW PASSAGE FOR THE FLOW OF SAIDSMOKE THERETHROUGH, TRANSVERSELY EXTENDING WALL MEANS DIVIDING SAIDPASSAGE INTO FIRST AND SECOND LONGITUDINALLY DISPOSED COMMUNICATINGCHAMBERS AND INCLUDING MEANS PERMITTING AN INCREASE AND DECREASE,RESPECTIVELY, IN THE FLOW VELOCITY OF SAID SMOKE, WHEN PASSING FROM ONECHAMBER TO THE OTHER, FILTER MEANS IN AT LEAST ONE OF SAID CHAMBERS, ANDADJUSTABLE RESTRICTING MEANS IN SAID WALL MEANS FOR SELECTIVELY ANDMANUALLY ADJUSTING THE CROSS-SECTION OF SAID PASSAGE, WHEREBY VARIOUSDEGREES OF SAID FLOW VELOCITY CAN BE ADJUSTED FOR A CONTROL FILTRATIONOF SAID SMOKE.